Former senator to lobby for Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Mayor Sly James has chosen former Republican U.S. Sen. Kit Bond as the city's new lobbyist with the federal government.

Bond retired from elective politics in 2011 after 24 years representing Missouri in the Senate. He's also a former two-term Missouri governor.

The northeast Missouri native now runs a consulting firm, Kit Bond Strategies, with offices in St. Louis, Columbia, Kansas City and Washington, D.C.

The Kansas City Star reports (http://bit.ly/VvLL1C ) Bond's consulting company will replace a local law firm as the city's federal lobbyist. Terms of the contract weren't disclosed Wednesday.

Danny Rotert, a spokesman for the mayor, says Kansas City already gets plenty of support from congressional Democrats. Rotert says the city will benefit from Bond's longtime ties with Republicans in the federal government.